The Blackville community has become the third community on the Liverpool Plains to declare it coal seam gas free.  A simple survey asking community members if they would like their roads to be coal seam gas free resulted in an overwhelming 96.9% of respondents declaring emphatically that Blackville must be a CSG Free Community.  Clearly this means that Santos has no social license to operate on the rich agricultural country of the Liverpool Plains.

Deputy Premier Stoner’s extraordinary announcement in February that CSG extraction is “dangerous” and would “devalue his property” resulted in a 2km buffer zone around residential areas.  This has not been extended to include the farming community.

The Blackville community has taken a strong united stand against the CSG industry.  Following 4Corners revelations of government and industry collusion, lack of scientific rigour and the devastating impacts of this industry, the move to close the Blackville community to CSG development is timely and necessary.  This is a strong message to Santos and government that the CSG industry is not welcome in this highly productive food producing area.

Contacts:  Rosemary Nankivell 0428 643284  6747 4004,  Margaret Wilmott 6747 4023,  Nicky Chirlian 0488 056199  6747 5600